


And At the End of the World We’ll See Dragons

by oceanemeralds



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Angst, Curses, Freeform, Happy Ending, Keith (Voltron) is a God, Knight Shiro (Voltron), M/M, Prophecy, Sheith Fantasy Occult Week, Shiro (Voltron) is a God, Shiro (Voltron)-centric, everything is freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-17 09:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20618495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceanemeralds/pseuds/oceanemeralds
Summary: Hundreds of years ago, the humans overthrew the old gods and dragons disappeared from the world. As he died, Shiro, the Black and White God prophesied that he'd return with the dragons.





	1. I'm still waiting for you at the end of the world

**Author's Note:**

> Some notes about the world since I'm playing fast and loose with everything:
> 
> Gods here aren't like, gods of something, Keith and Shiro and the other gods don't preside over anything in particular. People would pray to gods for just about anything without discretion of what the god actually does. This started as me trying to remember a Hades and Persephone au that I forgot but it didn't work so the concept of gods became a lot more general.
> 
> Dragons are also sort of parallel to the gods in terms of power, but they're more like wild nature spirits. They may or may not be here because I am lowkey (highkey) obsessing over the dragons from BotW and are mostly for aesthetic and my own passion for dragons.
> 
> There is a difference between humans and Alteans, Alteans are basically elves.

The cabin looked almost cozy nestled in the snowy woods, looking like the perfect place to rest for the night after a long journey. But a second glance saw through the charming facade. The lights were on, but dim and no smoke billowed from the chimney. Despite the horses in the small stable, too more lay dead outside, the surrounding snow dyed red and arrows protruding from their bodies. A tragedy happened here.

The shadows were too deep, in some places they seemed to drift in the air like dust. The blight had reached even this far...

The only small comfort was Coran, stood out on the porch waiting for their arrival. He waved as the royal entourage arrived, led by Alfor with Melenor at his side.

Alfor was the first to dismount and approach the cabin. “What’s the situation?” he asked, brow creased in concern.

“Not good,” Coran answered, his voice weight down by exhaustion and gloom. “We lost track of the father during our escape, and our hopes aren’t high on that front. The mother isn’t doing well either. The delivery was hard on her and she still hasn’t had time to recover.”

Alfor swore, things could have gone better if they didn’t get caught in that blizzard. “Is that really all who’s left?”

“We still have the grandfather, but otherwise I’m afraid so.”

This was a disaster. The Shirogane Clan were one of the few supporters of the royal family in regards to the prophecy. They’ve worked together for years to get to this point, and now in the final stretch, they were all but gone. Alfor ordered the physician to go ahead of them inside while he appointed guards around the perimeter of the cabin.

“What of the baby?” Melenor inquired, coming to stand beside Alfor, the nursemaid she hired close behind. “It’s made it this far, right?”

The smallest spark of pride lit its way through Coran’s grief. “Yes, the baby is safe for now. And it’s good you all showed up when you did. I don’t know how long he could last in this weather, especially with the state his mother is in.”

Melenor sighed in relief and her and the nursemaid followed the physician inside.

“Thank you for staying these past months. I know it’s been a sacrifice on your part, but it’s over now,” Alfor said earnestly.

“It’s been no trouble. The Shirogane’s are … were lovely hosts. I just wish things turned out better in the end.”

“What happened anyway? What of the men I sent with you?”

“I can’t say for sure how word got out, or even the details of the prophecy, but somehow the surrounding villages heard that a baby was born that could restore the old gods. There were so many of them, and I couldn’t in good conscious order our men to attack people we're supposed to be saving. The most we could do was flee while they attacked.”

Alfor placed a hand on his adviser's shoulder. “I’m glad you were able to make it, my friend.” But then he faltered. “How are they so sure that this was the correct child?”

“Oh you’ll see. Shiro made it very obvious which child he was talking about.”

The door opened and Alfor balked. 

Obvious indeed.

Tiny blunt horns protruded from a nearly hairless head, little chips of obsidian against soft skin. A thin black tail poked its way out of the bundle he was wrapped in. Pudgy baby arms gave way to dark curling claws, too misshapen to even feign humanity, and even without seeing them he knew the feet would match if the old idols and paintings were accurate representations.

“I expected him to be a bit more subtle,” Alfor commented. When the prophecy said that the human would bare Shiro’s image, he expected them to share the same human features, and only his human features. That’s why there was such a great effort to preserve all the old art depicting the old god.

“I think we were all taken a bit off guard on that front. It’s certainly erases any doubt we have that he’s the one.”

Lady Emiko sat between Melenor and the nursemaid, baby swaddled tightly in her arms. She looked sickly pale, her cheeks were sunken in and she had dark circles under her eyes, but her smile was full of light and love as she looked down at her son.

“Your Highness. Come meet Takashi.”

_ Wait for my power to return, _  
_ I will claw my way back to you. _  
_ The human who bares my visage, _ _  
Return them to my home._

_ I shall arise again and herald the return of dragons. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course I'm late to this and now I only have two days left to do it. Because that's typical of me. I really hope this won't be that long? I'm not sure how many chapters I'll have (no more than five though) but they'll all probably about this length, between 500 and 1000 words. For real though, if I finish this I will make bingo! Huzzah!
> 
> In all honestly, I think I needed a bit of a break from Soft Fur, Soft Heart. Chapter 8 is honestly killing me and I think I need to step back and focus on something else. Sorry about the long wait for those of you waiting on it.
> 
> I was going for more occult than fantasy but this is what it turned into.
> 
> Let me know if you have any questions about the setting or anything else. I'll have the next chapter up soon.
> 
> Find me on twitter at [circuscrovv](https://twitter.com/circuscrovv).  
I also have pillowfort at [circuscrow](https://www.pillowfort.social/circuscrow).


	2. Do you really not remember me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter ended up being really long.

The ruins sat in the heart of the wasteland, the rotting remnants of a once extravagant temple, a sprawling and elaborate complex of divinity. But then the mortals overthrew the gods, and so too did the temple fall and became a monument to arrogance and folly. The surrounding land became barren, the soil infertile and the air dry. It was hard to believe now, but this desert used to be lush and green with life.

Allura lead them past the ramparts, past destroyed buildings and crumbling statues of long dead gods. At one time, this was probably a street. In the distance was the castle, the part of the temple where the old gods lived. Their destination as dictated by the prophecy. Takashi’s prophecy. The one that told him to summon a long dead god. 

As like most of their journey here, he spent the approach to the castle lost in his own head.

Takashi hated this prophecy. It may have brought him to Altea, where he was surrounded by good people who cared about him. But it’s also why his birth family is gone. It left his mother infrim. It gave him horns to hide under a hood, claws to keep gloved and a tail to keep tucked away. Most of the people he knew didn’t even know what he looked like. It also gave his life a singular and impossible purpose that he never asked for, to restore the god Shiro and free the land of the cursed blight. Despite the 25 years he spent dedicated to this purpose, he still had no idea how to do that.

It was exhausting and frustrating. Allura suggested they go on this pilgrimage to the temple to maybe find some clues on how to do so.Takashi couldn’t help but feel like it was pointless.

And dangerous.

Blight clung to nearly everything, deep oily blackness pooling in the shadows and creeping over even the smallest pebble like a malicious spiderweb. It drifted in the wind like dust and they would breathe it in if it weren’t for the masks they wore out of necessity. Once the blight got inside someone, well… that was a fate no one wanted.

But Takashi was used to covering himself.

He tuned out Lance’s complaining about the heat and Pidge’s hypothesizing about the temple with Hunk. Takashi just didn’t have the mental energy for that. Thankfully Allura knew not to demand anything of him, all she asked was that he rides next to her and she’d do most of the legwork. His adoptive sister was probably the only one who knew how much he dreaded all of this. In fact, so few people knew about the prophecy, many thought Allura herself took on the role of restoring the gods and fighting the blight. 

And she would, Takashi couldn’t imagine doing any of this without her.

The blight got worse and worse as they approached the castle. It felt more like navigating a maze than a straight street in order to avoid going through it.

“Leave the horses,” Takashi commanded when the small paths got too small. “We’ll find a way inside on foot.” At least the castle wasn’t that far away.

The castle saw the worst of the blight. Once they were inside, Takashi honestly couldn’t make sense of what it was all supposed to look like it was so covered.

“What’s the plan?” Lance asked, voice muffled behind his mask.

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect the castle to be in such a sorry state,” Allura answered with a resigned sigh.

“Let’s look for the source. If we can find out where it’s coming from, maybe we can find a way to stop it,” Takashi suggested.

“There’s really not that many places we can go…” Hunk noted.

“Then let’s just go where we can for now.”

Before they could move, there was a voice. It sounded like it was trying to whisper but their voice still echoed loudly across the walls, leaving no question that it wasn’t a trick of the mind.

** _“Is that you?”_ **

A small scream escaped Hunk’s throat before he covered his mouth, Pidge clutching to his arm. Lance’s jaw nearly hit the floor in shock and Allura froze where she stood, not even daring to breathe. Takashi was the only one unbothered by the disembodied voice. It stirred something unrecognizable in his heart, and it didn’t feel like a bad thing. The complete opposite in fact.

Takashi stood straighter and called, “I am Takashi of the Shirogane Clan. I-” Was this the right thing to say? The prophecy did only say that he had to “return” here… “And I’m here,” he finished lamely.

There was a sizzle and a section of blight receded, leaving behind a neat path for them.

** _“Shiro…”_ **

He glanced back at the others before proceeding forward. Maybe… maybe it was just this simple. The rest of the castle looked so much worse the deeper Takashi walked, everything was just black, with the blight piling in clumps. The others’ footsteps echoed behind his. They might be talking, but he’s too focused on the voice.

** _“You’re finally here.”_ **

** _“I’ve been waiting.”_ **

** _“Come home to me.”_ **

It filled him with  _ something _ . Something he couldn’t quite place. He wanted to feel more of it.

The source of everything was in a central chamber in the castle, long ago it could have been a throne room. In the middle was a god. The last god. Or at least, Takashi thought he was a god, it was too hard to tell beneath the blight that encased most of his body. That feeling Takashi was feeling turned into a painful ache that felt a lot like sorrow.

** _“You’re back.”_ ** Was it strange for a god could sound so emotional? It was like he’s had his first breath of fresh air after nearly drowning, like being plucked from the water and wrapped up warmly by someone who is most important.

But all Takashi did was walk into this cursed castle.

“I’ve never been here before,” Takashi answered honestly. He heard the others shuffle in behind him, displaying different expressions of shock.

** _“You haven’t?”_ ** Takashi might as well have slapped the god, his indigo eyes filled with a deep unknowable hurt.

Without any idea of what else to do, Takashi dropped to his knee and bowed. “I’ve come on behest the prophecy.”

** _“What prophecy?”_ **

Takashi didn’t expect such an answer. “Shiro’s prophecy.”

** _“So you’re here for Shiro?”_ **

“Who… may I ask who you are?”

** _“Do you really not remember me?”_ **

Takashi had no answer for him.

** _“I am Keith. Your people referred to me as the Red God. I am also Shiro’s husband.”_ **

“It is an honor to meet you, Keith.” And it was. No one in 500 years has ever had even seen a god. And Takashi was starting to feel like maybe he could solve this prophecy right here and now.

** _“It is an honor to meet you as well,”_ ** Keith answered. It was weird to think a god would be honored to meet a human, but Takashi couldn’t hear any deceit in his voice.

“Tell me, what shall I do. How can I give you my aide?”

Keith didn’t seem to be expecting that question.  ** _“Do?”_ **

But Takashi didn’t have an answer for him. It seemed Shiro died before he could fill his husband in on the prophecy. The silence stretched on uncomfortably long and he tried to not get irritated at the whispers behind him.

_ “What are they doing?” _

_ “Shut up, Lance.” _

_ “Should we be doing something, should we stop bowing now?” _

_ “I think he can hear us.” _

Takashi observed what he could of the god. It was impossible to tell where his long matted hair and the blight met, fading into each other seamlessly. His eyes were intense and seemed to glow in the low light of the castle. Pronged horns curved around his head like a prismatic crown. The one arm that was visible gave way to wicked, dark red claws.

** _“You can fetch me a sword.”_ **

That irritated Takashi. Keith clearly wasn’t expecting them and it felt like he was giving him busy work to appease him.

** _“It’s not far. Further in the temple, there is a spring. That’s where I hid Shiro’s sword. If you get it for me, I might be able to get out of here.”_ **

That didn’t seem too hard. If that was all he had to do, then he spent a lot more time dreading his role in the prophecy than he needed to. “Alright, how do I get there?”

Despite how little he could move, Keith gestured to a hall next to him.  **“Go down there and you will find a staircase. I’m trapped, but I can still guide you from here.”**

Takash stood. “Alright. We’ll get it for you. Let’s-”

**“NO,”** Keith interrupted.  **“Only you can go.”**

“What!” Lance squawked. “He can’t do that! How do we know this isn’t a trick? How do we know  _ you’re _ not causing the blight?”

Only Lance would be bold enough to fire accusations at a god right to his face.

“Lance, don’t,” Allura hissed.

“He’s not,” Takashi answered calmly. He didn’t know how he could tell, but he could.

** _“I’m not,”_ ** Keith confirmed.  ** _“I’ve been holding the blight back. Humans are the ones who started it.”_ **

“Takashi. Are you okay doing this?” Allura asked.

Takashi gave her an assuring smile. “Yeah, I think I’m good.”

Allura returned his smile, relief in her eyes. She too saw the end.

** _“Go ahead, I’ll guide you.”_ **

Takashi stepped into the darkened hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have very specific reasons why Shiro is the god and Takashi is the human, but it's still weird to have someone who isn't Keith calling him that. I hope it doesn't bother you too much.
> 
> That's going to be it for tonight. This is dangerous, I'm exposing how fast I can actually write when I'm properly motivated. Comments and kudos are always appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on twitter at [circuscrovv](https://twitter.com/circuscrovv).  
I also have pillowfort at [circuscrow](https://www.pillowfort.social/circuscrow).


End file.
